Aviation Fuel Race: Rubis Takes 33.6% of Kenya's Jet Fuel Market

Kenya's aviation-fuel market is becoming a bigger battleground for oil marketers, with Rubis Energy Kenya holding a 33.6% share in the year ended June 2026, according to data from the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).

The figure, disclosed publicly for the first time in the regulator's market data, puts Rubis more than twice ahead of its closest rival, Be Energy, which held 14.01%. The other major international oil marketers, Vivo Energy Kenya and TotalEnergies Marketing Kenya, held 11.8% and 4.8%, respectively.

The numbers matter because jet fuel demand has been expanding as airlines add capacity at Kenya's main airports, giving oil marketers a growing pool of aviation customers to compete for.

Where is the market moving?

Business Daily reported on 3 October that Rubis was the largest seller of jet fuel in Kenya during the year ended June 2026, while Be Energy ranked second. Hass Petroleum and Stabex International followed with shares of 13.1% and 12.9%.

Together, Rubis, Be Energy, Hass and Stabex accounted for 73.7% of the jet-fuel market.

The market structure is different from Kenya's broader petroleum market. Vivo Energy, TotalEnergies and Rubis remain the three biggest marketers across petrol, diesel and kerosene, but their positions change when aviation fuel is considered.

That difference gives the jet-fuel segment its own competitive dynamics. Marketers are competing for airline supply contracts and for business created by the growth of passenger and cargo traffic through Kenya.

How fast is demand growing?

Kenya's jet-fuel consumption rose to 734,500 tonnes in 2025, up from 669,000 tonnes in 2024, a 9.8% increase, according to figures cited by Business Daily from industry data.

The increase came as international airlines expanded flights to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Moi International Airport, while local carriers also added services.

The market has also benefited from Kenya's role as a regional aviation and refuelling hub. Business Daily reported that JKIA became busier after disruptions to Middle East airspace pushed some traffic towards alternative routes and hubs.

EPRA's longer-term planning points in the same direction. Its medium-term petroleum development plan projects jet-fuel demand to rise from 972M litres in 2024 to 1.067B litres in 2029, reflecting expected growth in air travel.

The regulator's projection is not a forecast of individual oil marketers' market shares. It does, however, show why the aviation-fuel segment is becoming commercially significant.

What does it mean for oil marketers?

The expanding market creates room for competitors to increase volumes, but Rubis' lead also gives it a strong starting position.

Rubis itself has acknowledged that competition in Kenya's aviation segment has been intense. In its 2025 annual report, the French group said its African volumes excluding bitumen increased by 1%, while the aviation segment declined, citing the competitive situation in Kenya.

The contrast between a growing market and pressure on individual volumes is important. Rising industry demand does not guarantee that every marketer will grow at the same rate. Companies can gain market share by taking business from rivals even when their own sales are under pressure.

Price competition is another factor. Unlike petrol, diesel and kerosene, jet fuel prices in Kenya are not regulated at the retail level, leaving pricing to market forces.

That gives airlines and fuel suppliers a stronger commercial role in determining how the market develops. It also means changes in crude prices, refining costs, exchange rates and competition can feed directly into aviation-fuel economics.

For Kenya, the expanding jet-fuel market is tied closely to the country's ambitions as an aviation and logistics hub. For oil marketers, the 33.6% share held by Rubis shows that the contest for that growth is already well underway.